Who Let The Hogs Out?

WAITSBURG - Raising swine for the fair can be a good investment financially and for the experience.

But for Waitsburg FFA member Luke Alexenko, raising pigs is more than just money -- it's fun.

It's a big investment in the beginning, $120 to purchase the three-month-old pig, $5 for a rented sty and $300 for high protein feed - per pig.

And to get any kind of substantial return, the pigs have to be sold at the fair, which means they have to meet several requirements. The most notable of these is the weight requirement, 235 to 280 pounds just to qualify.

But despite the challenges 15-year-old Alexenko con- tinues to devote countless hours during the stretch between the May purchase of the piglets to the August and September county fairs in the valley.

Alexenko has been rais- ing pigs to show in both the Walla Walla County Fair and the Columbia County Fair for three years, ever since he saw his brother bringing home the bacon.

The money his brother made from selling hogs at the fair was the original entice- ment and even the stresses of fair requirements haven't slowed him down.

"You take them to the fair hellip; then you wash them and weigh in and it has to hit the margin," Alexenko said. "(Then) you have to clean it and shave its ears and tail. You want it to look as nice as possible."

All of the stress and effort of the previous months comes down to the first day, market class, where the more impressive pigs will receive the highest rates for sale.

His first year at fair with the pigs, Alexenko said he wasn't very successful. His mother, Pam Alexenko, said the first pig he raised was too heavy and the judge wasn't impressed. For his second year, Alexenko bought two pigs, but one got sick and died before it could go to fair. The remaining pig fared well and sold at a reasonably high price.

This year, he is ready with two healthy Yorkshire pigs he believes will do well.

A big challenge for Alex- enko is that he has no abun- dance of free time. He will be a sophomore at Waitsburg High School this fall and participates in a full load of sports.

Last year he played football, basketball and baseball. And while he said he would certainly enjoy continuing football into college, his in- terest in animals carries into his academic life.

Alexenko said he is most interested in biology and wants to take more classes focused on animals or fish and wildlife so his love of working with the pigs seems natural.

"He actually loves his pigs and loves spending time with them," Pam said.

He said he enjoys them even though they sometimes make a mess. Detailing an experience he had trying to wrangle his pigs around their stalls, Alexenko said the pigs would sometimes come out of the mud and shake like a dog, spraying him with the muddy mist.

"I got covered in mud just checking on them," Alexenko said. "And of course I was wearing a white shirt."

But working with the animals is an important part of the process. Alexenko said after the pigs are judged for market, day two is showman- ship. Pam said this means the kids have to actually work with the animals.

Luckily, Alexenko has learned an important part of keeping the pigs happy enough to follow him into the ring for show - they love sweets. He said one year he had to lead his pig into the ring by feeding it his gummy bears.

"I'm going to keep (rais- ing pigs) until I can't any- more," Alexenko said.